Crosswalk.com aims to offer the most compelling biblically-based content to Christians on their walk with Jesus. Crosswalk.com is your online destination for all areas of Christian Living – faith, family, fun, and community. Each category is further divided into areas important to you and your Christian faith including Bible study, daily devotions, marriage, parenting, movie reviews, music, news, and more.

The Likes of Social Media

Nicki Koziarz

Nicki Koziarz is a speaker, writer, and leader in today's generation. She lives just outside of Charlotte, NC with her husband and their three girls. As a leader and speaker, Nicki is willing to tackle the hard issues this generation is facing to encourage the pursuit of God's Truth in their lives.
She is on staff at Proverbs 31 Ministries as the coordinator for their online Bible studies.
Nicki speaks nationally for retreats, conferences, events and MOPS groups. For more information on having Nicki for your next event you can email her at: nicki@nickikoziarz.com
Visit Nicki's site at: www.nickikoziarz.com

From generation-to-generation there have always been defining tools the enemy of our souls has used. Things like the mirror, the scale or our financial status. But there’s a new way I see us being defined which is leading a lot of people to a place of discouragement:

Trusting our social media “likes”.

As a struggling writer, I understand this defining tool of the enemy all to well. And I’m seeing that it is something that can become very unsafe to our souls [writer or no writer.]

“A man is a fool to trust himself. But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.” –Proverbs 28:26

I love my social media friends. They offer much support, encouragement and connection. And I love social media as a tool to share life with others we would normally not connect with. It’s so amazing to live in a time where we can say one sentence to a thousand people instantly.

But here’s my struggle: trusting my social media likes is often easier than trusting the voice of God in my life.

Because…

Sometimes I hold back what I really feel God leading me to say in fear of loosing followers.

I didn’t start off this way. But all it takes are a few harsh comments. Then, as I sit down to write, I hear those voices. They hold me back from having the courage to say what I know needs to be said.

It’s not always safe to trust our social media likes.

And sometimes I've said things via social media that was a subliminal message to someone instead of having the courage to say it to the person’s face.

Anyone can sit behind a computer and say something anonymously with guts. But having the courage to have a hard conversation with someone privately often feels like a lost cause. Most of the time these bold subliminal messages seem to resonate with people, which makes things even more complicated.

It’s not always safe to trust our social media likes.

But even worse, sometimes I’ve felt less than valued as a writer when I didn’t get all those virtual high-fives for something I’ve written.

Using our “likes” as a tool for measuring what connects with other people isn’t such a bad thing. But we shouldn’t get discouraged when we’ve been obedient to God and it didn’t seem to settle with many people.

It’s not always safe to trust our social media likes.

The reality is I don’t know if we live in a culture that allows us to completely disconnect from all social media. Taking a break from it, stepping back and keeping the right perspective are all great things. But as we engage via social media might we hold close the promise today found in Proverbs 26:28.

It’s not always safe to trust our social media likes but we are always protected when we trust God.

So friend, I pray today we might have the courage to say the things we need to say. Hold close the people we need to hold closely. Let go of the people who don’t make us well. And find our value in trusting God’s voice more than ever.